Avtodor will host Zenit in the Game of the Week.
Location: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall (5500 spectators)
Time: January 23, 2022, 16:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Broadcasts: TV Start, VTB United League Website
Rivalry
Avtodor and Zenit debuted in the United League at the same time – in the 2014/15 season, but they have already met 20 times in 8 seasons. This became possible due to the rivalry history in the playoffs: in 2 games out of 3, when Avtodor got into the Top 8, Zenit went to the next round. The St. Petersburg team won each of the series by 3-0. And in general, Zenit leads in this rivalry history – 15-5.
Interestingly, however, the first game of these teams in November 2014 ended with Avtodor win – 93:83. And the only basketball player who took part in that game and can play on Sunday in Saratov was Dmitry Kulagin.
The last Avtodor home winning game against Zenit was more than 3 years ago – in December 2018. After this game, the St. Petersburg team fired their Head Coach Vasily Karasev, who had led the team since its foundation.
The Last Game
This season, the teams have already played: on December 20 in St. Petersburg, Avtodor was in the lead from the first minute until the final buzzer, winning 83:74 and extending the winning streak to 7 successful wins in a row. The Saratov team managed to finish the year on the 1st place in the standings.
After the game, Avtodor thanked its fan sector, which got from Saratov to SIBUR Arena. Evgeny Kolesnikov acted as a photographer:
Game layout
The year did not start too successfully for Avtodor: on January 4, the Saratov team’s streak ended in Moscow, losing to CSKA (65:92), and gave the lead to UNICS. Since then, Emil Rajkovikj’s team have played 2 games in the FIBA Europe Cup, beating London Lions (84:81) and Bahcesehir led by Jamar Smith and Sam Dekker (75:70).
Zenit had a similar January – the team played 3 games, 2 were this week. And if Xavi Pascual’s team had won CSKA in the United League (81:68), then Monaco did not have enough strength in the Euroleague (77:86).
The Streak
“Home court team” is about Avtodor, which is playing very confidently in the arena this season. The Saratov team had won 5 home games in a row, and the only loss took place in early October against Loko (95:108).
Playing at home, Avtodor demonstrates one of the best offense in the championship, scoring 89.2 points average. Only CSKA has more – 98.0. However, Zenit is also the best defending team on the road: Pascual’s team allow opponents to score only 70.7 points.
Debut
Zenit rookie Tyson Carter played his first game for the St. Petersburg team on Thursday against Monaco in the Euroleague and scored 2 points and 2 assists in almost 7 minutes. Xavi Pascual was pleased with the actions of the newcomer: “For the minutes that he got, I can say that I am satisfied with his game, he helped the team at the right moments. He continues to get into the rhythm of the team and is confident that he will progress further.”
Given the absence of the injured Conner Frankamp, it can be assumed that Carter will make his debut in the VTB League on Sunday.
Why can Avtodor win?
The main Saratov team advantage is freshness and the availability of time to prepare. Avtodor played its only guest game in 2022 on January 4 with CSKA, after played twice at home, and the last game was on January 12.
Zenit flew to Perm in early January, after which the team was out for almost 2 weeks due to COVID. Moreover, for some time, Xavi Pascual’s team did not even had training. The St. Petersburg team completed a forced pause less than a week ago and immediately got into a very difficult schedule: on Monday – CSKA, on Thursday – Monaco, and on Sunday already departure to Saratov.
In addition, Avtodor has been surprisingly injury-free throughout the season. All the main players are healthy, and Emil Rajkovikj can use a wide rotation. But the depth of the roster is one of Avtodor’s trump cards. Immediately 6 players score more than 9 points per game on average, and it is difficult to predict which of the Saratov players will lead the team. It is enough to recall Pavel Sergeev in the 3rd quarter of the December game in St. Petersburg, when he scored 12 points in 10 minutes.
Why can Zenit win?
Despite a 2-week break, the St. Petersburg team proved that they are one of the strongest teams in the League, defeating CSKA without Gudaitis and Frankamp. And now Zenit is going to Saratov as the favorite, aiming for revenge after a home loss in December. The win will allow to rise to 2nd place in the standings – at least until the game between CSKA and Kalev on Monday.
Xavi Pascual’s team relies on shooting from the perimeter: 47% of all Zenit shots from the game are 3-pointers. And Avtodor just can’t brag on the defense: the Saratov team is 8th in the League. If the St. Petersburg snipers will catch the shot, it will be extremely difficult to stop Zenit.
Comments
Emil Rajkovikj, Avtodor Head Coach :
– In the games with CSKA and Monaco, Zenit showed that they are fully prepared. This is one of the best Euroleague and VTB League teams this season. I hope we will have a very good game. We had a short break without games – I hope this will not affect our game rhythm in any way. I would like the stands to be filled, as the support and help of the fans are very important for our win over Zenit.
Xavi Pascual, Zenit Head Coach :
– We are up against a team that is playing really well this season and showing excellent results. They won against us at SIBUR Arena, where we didn’t show the basketball we were supposed to show. If we want to win in Saratov, we have to act very well in offense and defense.
